Park Avenue Armory Announces DS+R's Collaboration with Bill T. Jones

With an array of multi-disciplinary works, Park Avenue Armory's 2020 season features the world premiere of Armory commission Deep Blue Sea by Bill T. Jones, with design by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, featuring a cast of 100 dancers/community members, exploring the interplay of single and group identity in pursuit of the elusive “we” during these fractious times.

Director, choreographer, dancer Bill T. Jones creates a massive new work that expands on Jones’ recent practice revolving around the interplay of single and group identities. Revered internationally for his skill at storytelling through movement, Jones conceived this highly personal work in pursuit of the elusive “we” during these fractious times through a cast of 100 dancers/community members led by the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, and a deconstructed text from Martin Luther King Jr.‘s “I Have a Dream” speech and Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. The Armory’s Wade Thompson Drill Hall will be transformed by Elizabeth Diller of the renowned architecture team Diller Scofidio + Renfro, projection designer Peter Nigrini, and lighting designer Robert Wierzel. The soundscape is an original composition by Nick Hallett with an electronic component by New York-based music producer Hprizm aka High Priest. In addition to choreographing and directing, for the first time in over 15 years, Jones himself performs. The performance will premiere on April 14, 2020 - purchase your tickets here.

A New Commission by Park Avenue Armory
Commissioned by Park Avenue Armory in Collaboration with Holland Festival
Produced and Developed by Park Avenue Armory in Collaboration with New York Live Arts

Bill T. Jones, Creator & Director
Janet Wong, Associate Director
Choreography by Bill T. Jones, Janet Wong, and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company
Visual Environment Elizabeth Diller (DS + R) and Peter Nigrini
Robert Wierzel, Lighting Design
Nick Hallett, Original Score
Hprizm, Music Producer
Mark Grey, Sound Design
Liz Prince, Costume Design
Mark Hairston, Dramaturg